Hi. I'm sorry I haven't posted anything in awhile. I have been so busy. I have been going Christmas shopping and having so much fun with my friend Karen. Karen is a great theater friend. Today we went to the mall with our moms and my awesome sister Amanda. Last month I was in two musicals; White Christmas and Annie. It was so fun.
Last week was a really terrible week for my blood sugar. All of a sudden my blood sugar was high high high!!! My mom had to slap my CGM on. A CGM is a Continuous Glucose Monitor. I don't really like to wear it because it itches and leaves an ugly rash. But it does a good job of helping my mom figure out how to make adjustments to my insulin pump. Now I am taking a lot more insulin, but my blood sugar is back in range. Whew! My mom says she thinks my honeymoon period is finally over.
Now I'm doing much better, and today (FINALLY!) the CGM is off. I hope my numbers stay good because I'd like to keep it off for awhile.
It's just one of those days. You take your CGM off, and you end up with a low blood sugar. Sheesh! Even though I only went down to 59, I still felt horrible. My head hurt and I felt dizzy. My stomach hurt, and I started shaking. When I got home from my theater class I was 113, so I ate dinner (a basil quesadilla - yum!) - 19 grams. Then I had a french cake from Starbucks - 11 grams. I bolused correctly, but soon I felt really low. But when I tested I was 71, which isn't really all that low. So I ate a bag of chex mix - 11 grams. I tested again a few minutes later - 63. How did that happen! So I ate a bag of pirate booty - 19 grams. And now I'm waiting and hoping that my stupid bg will behave!
I had a lot of fun today. I spent the day with my best friend. We went to art camp, where we made collages. Then we went roller skating. It was a lot of fun. Almost like I didn't have diabetes for a change. I wasn't thinking about it, I was just having fun. We even had Taco Bell for lunch, and when my mom saw my numbers for the day, she was super impressed because I stayed between 80-150 all day! All by myself!
Then I went to theater and home. My mom took off my CGM to put a new sensor on. We checked my blood sugar and I was perfect - 113. I took a nice hot shower, and ended up in the 70's. Thank you hot water.
Tonight was movie night and you know what that means ... Popcorn! I love popcorn I just hope we did it right this time!!! I am so lucky to have a mom like mine!! It's two hours past popcorn and my blood sugar is... 126!!! Wahooo! Perfect!
You know what I LOVE? Cupcakes. You know what makes me so mad? When people say I can't have cupcakes or sweets. Well, the truth is - I can! It's just really annoying to hear people say or ask "can you have sweets?". It drives me UP THE WALL!
During one school day, someone brought cupcakes for my class. And guess what? There was one cupcake missing. Yep, that was the one that would have been for me. The parent knew I had type 1 diabetes, and just assumed I wouldn't be able to eat the cupcake. So she brought enough for everyone...except me! I was really upset watching my whole class eat cupcakes while I was doing homework. So unfair!
This is why me and my mom are going to educate my school about type 1 diabetes. So this doesn't happen to any other kids. I want the teachers and staff to understand that people with type 1 diabetes CAN have sweets, we just have to test our blood sugar and take insulin for the treat. I might have to call my mom to help me estimate the carbs - but that's okay, she doesn't mind.
Even when they do give me a cupcake (now that my teacher knows I can have one), it's still pretty annoying that they don't let me know enough in advance so I can test my blood sugar and take my insulin. By the time I am ready to eat my cupcake - everyone else is finished eating theirs! Gee whiz! I feel so left out!
But luckily I have my best friend to wait for me. Kelsey is so awesome because she will hold on to her cupcake until I am done testing and taking insulin, so we can eat our cupcakes together.
I love to eat eat eat, apples and bananas... I like to eat eat eat, apples and bananas... I like to take take take, insulin for my carbs... I like to take take take, insulin for my carbs...
Man, am I a weirdo or what! Singing that kinder song. But it's fun.
Anyway, today's topic is talking about how I got diagnosed with diabetes (definitely not dia-beat-us, which is a totally different disease that happens when you get beaten by your diet...).
No more sillies. When I was diagnosed, I was in the emergency room for hours. And I'm not kidding. They wouldn't let me eat anything. I had been on my way to a delicious dinner, when suddenly (dramatic pause effect) suddenly my mom got a call from my Pediatrician. I was so sad because I didn't get to eat my delicious dinner. Instead I had to go to the Hospital, while my big sister and dad left me and my mom... and they went and ate a delicious dinner without us!
I was so scared! And I think my mom was pretty worried. I had to go through so much pain those days. First, they pricked my finger with a giant needle (which totally sliced my finger). My blood sugar was 375! Which now I know really isn't all that high for a diagnosis. They put an IV in my arm, which really hurt. Then we had to wait for a long, long time for an ambulance to take me to Roseville. But some nice lady, a volunteer at the hospital, brought me a teddy bear to hug. I still have that bear.
The ambulance finally arrived at around three o'clock in the morning to pick me up and take me to the childrens hospital in Roseville. Although that part was kind of fun.
The next morning they finally agreed to let me have breakfast, and we found out a lot more about diabetes - like I would have to take shots whenever I wanted to eat something. The food was not very good. They served me waffles and grapes (which I don't like), eggs, and sausage. They gave my mom and I lots of books and paperwork to read about living with diabetes.
I still look back at that day (cue flashback moment here) because it was really important to me and my family. Sometimes me and my mom even laugh about it because we were scared and confused, and now we're so used to my new life.
And by the way, I just wanted to review - it's really not dia-beat-us... please don't say that. No offense, but it's kind of annoying.
Here's a video my mom took. If you're interested in learning more:
Well today is Easter and I was just eating my dinner and I had already eaten my meat and my peas, and suddenly I got full - OMG! I was already 68 right before dinner too, and had just had my insulin for garlic mashed potatoes, sweet potato fries, and a roll - how was I gonna make that up! So thats when the superhero comes in - Oh look he's here right now. Marshmallows! Yahooooooooo!
Eventually we had homemade ice cream (yum). Me and my mom made it! YUM!
Marshmallows saved my life today or at least kept me from getting a really big needle in me! Thank you jetpuff Marshmallows!
When I'm at school and I'm low, I eat a marshmallow and I hear people say "Lucky! You get to eat marshmallows!". Well, I'm not actually that lucky. I would love to just eat marshmallows every single day without having to test or take insulin. If I didn't have diabetes, I would be able to just eat a marshmallow without doing any work.
And when I test I hear people say, "I wanna do that. Can I do it?". I say, "You don't want to do it. It's not really as fun as you think."
Hi. My name is Sarah. I'm my mama's daughter. This week my school had a jog-a-thon and I didn't do it because my insulin pump clip was broken. So I had to stay in another classroom (third grade). The teacher was talking to the students about sugar. Some student asked the teacher about juvenile diabetes. The teacher replied "Well, I used to give a kid insulin shots. You can die easily from juvenile diabetes". And I thought, "No, you can not!"
I have been living with type 1 diabetes for over a year and I haven't died. And I plan to live to be at least 100 years old. I know this man that my mom has been talking about and he has been living with type 1 diabetes for over 65 years! And he is in good health.
So what we're going to do now is a whole presentation to the staff at my school about type 1 diabetes. Even though there are three kids with type 1 diabetes at my school, the teachers still don't understand type 1. I am excited that my mom and I are going to actually talk in front of the whole staff and teach them about living with type 1 diabetes.
People need to understand type 1 diabetes because it's not the same thing as type 2 diabetes. I'm not overweight, and I certainly do not need a new diet. I have not changed my diet since I was diagnosed. The only thing I cannot eat is poison, and cookies....made with poison (I totally love that video!). So, I can pretty much eat whatever I want as long as I test my blood sugar before I eat and take insulin.
I want people to know that it's not easy to die from type 1 diabetes, as long as you take care of yourself and keep control of your blood sugar. I test myself at mealtimes and snacktimes, and I give myself insulin and..... EAT! I eat healthy and try not to graze or overeat. I always listen to my body, and if I don't feel right, I test my blood sugar. Sometimes if my blood sugar is low I feel shaky and dizzy. And if my blood sugar is high I have a headache. If my blood sugar is low - like under 70 - , I eat a marshmallow (yum!) and wait 15 minutes to test again. If my blood sugar is high I correct myself with a dose of insulin. If it's high at night, my mom takes care of me by testing me while I sleep and giving me insulin when I need it. My mom is so caring, wise and supportive. I couldn't have asked for a better one.
If you think I'm lucky that I get to eat marshmallows, I'm not because I still have to live with shots and testing my blood. People who don't have type 1 can eat a marshmallow just to eat it - but for me, it's actually medicine.
I really have learned a lot since my diagnosis and I will try to be as supportive as I can to other kids living with type 1 diabetes. :-)
Me and my friend Megan having a blood sugar contest (fun!)
